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THE GENE THAT MAKES A BIRD RED

THE GENE THAT MAKES A BIRD RED

In a paper recently published by the prestigious scientific journal Current Biology, an international research team which includes CIBIO-InBIO researchers Miguel Carneiro, Ricardo Jorge Lopes and José Melo-Ferreira, disclosed the genetic mechanisms that allow us to understand why some birds are red. This research study, conducted in close collaboration with two international teams from the USA, was made possible due to the use of the most advanced genetic and genome analysis techniques.

 

To produce red feathers, birds convert yellow pigments, known as carotenoids, which they intake in their diet, into red pigments that are then deposited in the feathers. These same red pigments are also accumulated in one of the cone photoreceptor types in birds’ retina, allowing them to enhance color vision. In this study, the research team was able to identify the gene – CYP2J19 – that codifies the enzyme responsible for converting yellow carotenoids into red pigments.

 

According to Miguel Carneiro, the coordinator of this study “the identification of this gene paves the way for an improved understanding of the function and evolution of the colour red in animals”, since for many animal species, red coloration plays a pivotal role in social signaling and mate choice.

 

To know more about this topic, please follow the links below:

 

International media (and other) outlets

Comment le rouge vient aux oiseaux | Le Monde | May 23, 2016

Two studies find one gene for red beaks and feathers | BBC News | May 21, 2016
How Birds Became Red | Forbes | May 21, 2016
Red Birds Carry On Colorful Chemistry | Scientific American | May 19, 2016
The Gene That Paints Birds Red | The Atlantic | May 19, 2016
How did cardinals get those bright red feathers? | The Source | May 19, 2016
Seeing red: how birds' yellow feathers turn into red ones | Science Focus | May 19, 2016
How birds turn red | Phys.org | May 19, 2016
How do some birds get such bright red feathers? | Science Daily | May 19, 2016

Auburn professor part of team that discovers redness gene in birds | Auburn University | May 19, 2016

 

National media outlets (information available in Portuguese)

Porque é que alguns pássaros são vermelhos? | Porto24 | May 31, 2016

O mistério das penas vermelhas: foi um passarinho que nos contou… | Público | May 25, 2016

Investigadores do CIBIO-InBIO descobrem o segredo das aves vermelhas | Notícias UP | May 24, 2016

Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | Diário Digital | May 20, 2016
Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | Porto Canal |May 19, 2016
Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | Correio da Manhã | May 19, 2016
Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | RTP | May 19, 2016
Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | País ao Minuto | May 19, 2016
Identificado gene que fornece a cor vermelha aos bicos e penas das aves | Destak | May 19, 2016

 

To read the national press release for this study, please click here.


To access the original article, please click here.

 

 

 

 

2016-05-22
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